THE VIDEO: DAPHNE GUINNESS - EVENING IN SPACE

THE VIDEO: DAPHNE GUINNESS - EVENING IN SPACE

TEXT TANIA FAROUKI

IDIOSYNCRATIC MUSE AND STYLE ICON DAPHNE GUINNESS INVITES US INTO AN INTERGALACTIC UNIVERSE WHERE HAUTE COUTURE, ALIENS AND GLAMOUR COLLIDE IN HER NEW MUSIC VIDEO, 'EVENING IN SPACE'

If there's one thing we've taken note of from Daphne Guinness' past vestiary pairings--be it an antique Victorian blouse with a Chanel tweed jacket, or a bejeweled glove with a lace black dress à la Morticia Addams--is that there is virtually nothing she can't pull off.

An eternal Haute Couture advocate and avid supporter of the arts in all its multi-dimensional forms, Guinness has firmly made her mark in the fashion industry thanks to her head-to-toe physical embellishments, starting with a Cruella De Vil hairdo and often ending with heel-less works of art, courtesy Natacha Marro or Noritaka Tatehana. Although she's often worked on melding aesthetics from all fields by collaborating with artists, photographers, and designers (from Nick Knight to François Nars), music has always been the love of her life. An opera singer in her early years, Guinness has now been working vigorously on a new album set to come out this September.

To bring her new single "Evening In Space" to life, she called on friend and frequent collaborator David LaChapelle to take on the role of director. And the result is what you might expect: mind-blowingly palatial. The single, produced by Tony Visconti and written and performed by Guinness, starts off with an intriguing mix of futuristic sounds that merges into solid accoustic/electric beats with violin notes, accompanying the opening sequence of a postmodern metallic castle set on a backdrop of hot pink clouds (the songstress' kingdom, no doubt).

In true Guinness style, the protagonist takes the meaning of outer space to a whole other level: We see her clad in an elaborate headpiece, cherry lips, an Alexander McQueen for Givenchy rainbow kimono (one of her most treasured possessions) and her signature diamond armor rings taking center stage. She finds herself in an ethereal spaceship and 1920s-style boudoirs, adorned first in a heavily bejeweled black and silver crystal The Blonds catsuit followed by a custom gold bodysuit by Alexander McQueen, opulent turbans, neon eye shadow and those Noritaka Tatehana luminous platforms. But it doesn't end there.

Guinness next lands from a rocket ship, this time wearing butterfly eyelashes with an electric blue static layered dress by Dutch designer Iris van Herpen--notorious for blending the world of science fiction and fashion (read: sci-fashion)--before switching to a white version, both accompanied by intricate glass helmets that end up breaking to pieces.

Fear not: An enchanting fuschia alien rescues Guinness and both engage in a celestial love-making scene (at one point, both seem to reach nirvana). A tale of boundless love, limitless imagination and an exquisite custom-made wardrobe makes this debut video an articulate feast for the eyes. Guinness sums it up well in song herself: "Freedom is not random. It's something you choose."